Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H.j. Dougherty Cute Boy Waterloo NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J.f. Ranch Young Lady In Dress Van Wert OH
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Kallmann Gorgeous Lady In Dress Newark
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C. Hord Young Lady In Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s E.j. Poller Handsome Young Man In Suit Mansfield OH
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s C.j. Family Gorgeous Lady In Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Folsom Handsome Young Man In Suit Danbury
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wheeler Black Cute Baby In Dress Pittsfield
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Ashman Old Lady In Dress Baltimore MD
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hazenstal Young Lady In Dress St. Louis
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s E. Hall & Co Cute Baby In Dress Buffalo NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Mesarvey V. Simmons Gorgeous Lady In Dress Portland OR
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Macnabb Gorgeous Lady In Dress NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s R. Bundy Gorgeous Lady In Dress Milwaukee
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Hagelstein Bros Lady In Dress NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Imperial Man With Mustache In Suit San Francisco
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Jenness Cute Children In Dresses Clinton
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Olsen Cute Baby In Dress Hartford CT
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Aller's Gallery Young Man In Suit Lancaster PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J. H. Dampf Old Lady In Dress Corning NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. Donnelly Gorgeous Lady In Dress New Haven
Cabinet Card Circa 1870s Kuebler Young Lady In Dress Philadelphia PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Victorian Lady in Lace Collar Miss Clara Ranki Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Ashbaucher Young Handsome Man In Suit Bluffton IN
Cabinet cards are larger albumen photographs mounted on thicker, often decorated card stock. First offered in London in 1863 and reaching American studios by 1866, they were dominant from the 1880s through the early 1900s — the ‘Golden Age’ of the cabinet card runs roughly 1870 to 1895 — and continued in declining numbers into the 1920s.
HistoryOrigin & era
Cabinet cards offered the same albumen process as CDVs but at a size more flattering to detailed studio work. By the 1880s mounts grew elaborate — gold edges, embossed studio logos, chromolithographed backs. The format faded sharply after Eastman Kodak's 1900 Brownie put cameras in everyone's hands; few cabinet cards date after 1906, and the last were produced in the early 1920s.
IdentificationHow to spot a Cabinet Card
- Mount roughly 4¼ × 6½ inches.
- Heavier card stock than a CDV, often with rounded corners and gold or beveled edges.
- Photographer's imprint usually on the front below the photo, with elaborate logos on the back.
- Plain pale mounts are earlier (1870s); dark green, black, and gilt mounts are 1880s–1890s.
Cabinet Card sizes
Standard cabinet cards are remarkably consistent, but several larger "deluxe" formats were sold by the same studios.
| Format | Inches | Millimeters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cabinet card | 4¼ × 6½ in | 108 × 165 mm | Universal mount size. |
| Cabinet print on mount | ≈ 3¾ × 5½ in | ≈ 95 × 140 mm | Photo trimmed to fit with a narrow border. |
| Promenade | 4 × 7 in | 102 × 178 mm | Taller variant, popular 1875–1900. |
| Boudoir | 5¼ × 8½ in | 133 × 216 mm | Larger format for full-length portraits. |
| Imperial | 6⅞ × 9⅞ in | 175 × 251 mm | Largest of the cabinet-family mounts. |
| Panel | 4 × 8 in | 102 × 203 mm | Narrow, full-length portrait format. |
Common questions
What is a cabinet card?
A cabinet card is a Victorian-era portrait photograph — an albumen print mounted on a heavy card roughly 4¼ × 6½ inches. First offered in London in 1863 and arriving in American studios by 1866, cabinet cards were the standard portrait format from about 1880 through the early 1900s and continued in declining numbers into the 1920s.
How do I date a cabinet card?
Mount color and decoration are the best clues: pale buff or cream stock with a simple imprint is 1870s; dark gray or maroon with gold edges is mid-1880s; deep green, black, or chocolate brown with ornate gilt lettering is 1890s. Beveled edges with gold appear around 1885.
What are cabinet cards worth?
Generic studio portraits typically run $5–$20. Cards depicting identified subjects, occupational scenes, ethnographic subjects, post-mortem photography, or well-known photographers can range from $50 to several hundred dollars. Condition, sharpness of the print, and subject interest matter more than age.
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